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Leena Ristolainen

Non-existing Places and other Moments of Freedom

I am living and painting in Helsinki, Finland. For me the painting process is conversation with color surface and lines so that they will form space on the canvas. The space is very real and utterly changing during the painting process. When painting is ready my space will disappear and the person looking at it will hopefully find the space of her own.

Nature is for me like for most of the Finnish part of selfhood and it appears in paintings whether I want it or not. Instead of photographic nature painting I am more fascinated by views where everyone has freedom to interpret whether it is land, air or water and whether one is looking something closely of far away. I hope one can find little moment of freedom in my works like I have found during the painting process.

I am painting mostly on canvas but also on wood. I am using mixed media where in the beginning thin layer of tempera is painted on canvas and then ink.Then I will continue with oil color and oil pastels as many layers as is necessary.